


A Mermaid's Song

by EdgeOfFantasy



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Little Mermaid Elements, Male My Unit | Byleth, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Reader is Not My Unit | Byleth, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27708721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdgeOfFantasy/pseuds/EdgeOfFantasy
Summary: Past the coast of Brigid and just before the capital city of the Adrestian Empire in Fódlan, there was a kingdom unlike any other.It was called Pheia, and it was thought to be just a myth, a fairytale to read to children as they drifted off to sleep.(AKA, Fire Emblem Should Definitely Have A Mermaid Class)
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Original Female Character(s), Ferdinand von Aegir/Reader
Kudos: 5





	1. une.

Past the coast of Brigid and just before the capital city of the Adrestian Empire in Fódlan, there was a kingdom unlike any other.

It was called Pheia, and it was thought to be just a myth, a fairytale to read to children as they drifted off to sleep. The castle was said to be made of sandstone, gold and shells and that it was inhabited by beautiful creatures known as merfolk. They had an upper body that resembled a human, though that's where their similarities ended. They had abnormally long nails and razor sharp teeth to protect themselves and hunt with, and their eyes were large and usually a dazzling blue or a deep green color. Instead of legs, they had fish tails. Their scales came in many different colors and patterns, just like a real fish.

Like the kingdom itself, they too were just fairy tales. There was no proof that they actually existed, up until now.

* * *

"Come on, Char! Keep up!" You shouted at something coming at you from behind while you were swimming as fast as your fins could take you. On your right shoulder was a small brown thing used to carry the many trinkets you find in the many shipwrecks scattered across the ocean and the wreck you were visiting right now was one you found fairly recently.

"If you'd stop swimming so fast maybe I will! The wreck isn't gonna get up and swim away, you know." Your companion sniped back. Char was a seahorse that you had ever since you two were young. He was the only one you chose to ride growing up, much to your parents' chagrin and disappointment.

"I know, but I have to get back before mother and father realize we're gone. They'd lock me in the castle for all eternity if they found out about this!" You replied, squeezing in through a broken window, careful not to cut yourself on the glass shards still present. Char entered through a large crack on the side of the ship, which was more than likely the cause of it sinking.

"You know they'd only do it because they care about you, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not a baby anymore. Besides, if anything tried messing with me I've got you to help me escape!"

With that said, you swam into a room with a desk, a skeleton, and some debris floating around. There were maps and other pieces of paper strewn about as well. Based on books you flipped through in the past, you knew that this had to be the captain's quarters. You swam towards one of the floating maps, trying to read the ink that was nearly faded already. Char was right outside, keeping an eye out for sharks, humans, or even other merfolk.

"Fódlan… that must be where the humans live." You said to yourself. You were tempted to take some of the maps back to the castle to study them, but you doubted that anything else would be as legible as this map. You decided to move onto something else more interesting.

After moving the skeleton away from the desk, you decided to go through the many drawers. There wasn't much in them besides cartography tools you already had and small boxes. You picked up one of the boxes and opened it, revealing a small diamond ring. You could feel your heart drop into your stomach once you recognized it as an engagement ring. Since this ship had skeletons, that ring had to be pretty old… you decided to swim back to Char and forget about it for now.

"Did you find anything good?" Char asked, swimming alongside you excitedly.

"I did, but I couldn't take anything with me because it was too waterlogged. Maybe we'll have more luck in this next room." You quickly replied, swimming ahead of him. You had far better luck in this room-- there was a silver stick with three prongs and a bunch of pearls on a string. As you reached out to grab something else that caught your eye, Char suddenly came rushing in behind you.

"Hey, I get the feeling that something's wrong with this place." He said, looking around the wooden room. There was a large glass window in the back of the room that didn't really help his nerves.

"And I get the feeling you're just paranoid, but we can leave after I grab this, alright?" Once you grabbed what you had your eye on earlier, you heard a crash and Char yelling in surprised. You quickly shoved the object into your pouch just in time to see a rather large shark coming at you and Char with bloodlust and hunger in its eyes. You were severely outmatched here and you definitely wouldn't be able to get close enough to bite it or otherwise scar it, you and Char turned tail and frantically looked for an exit whilst trying to avoid the rampaging creature.

You two ended up going out the way that you had first entered, and you took the chance to hold onto Char and pray that the shark would eventually lose interest in them once it realized you had no intention of stopping. You swam past geysers, seaweed forests, and even coral reefs full of schools of brightly colored fish. As you and Char approached Pheia, you looked back only to see the shark was nowhere to be found.

"I think we lost it.." You said quietly, causing Char to slow down, "I think we should wait until morning to go up to the surface and ask about these things." Your heart was beating fast with adrenaline, but it wasn't a horrible feeling.

"Good idea. I'm not sure how many more trips I could take today, honestly. Now hurry up and get yourself in your room before the king and queen puts together a search party for you." You nodded and let go of Char before swimming up to the castle. The castle guards didn't notice you swimming up to your balcony, surprisingly. Then again, they _were_ pretty lazy. _'I should probably bring this up to mom and dad later.'_ You thought to yourself before swimming into your large bedroom. Before you could do anything like set your stuff down somewhere, someone tackled you to the ground and pressed a fishbone dagger to your throat.

"An intruder! What have you done with the princess, you fiend?!" A female voice shouted at you. You roll your eyes in annoyance and go limp once you realize who it really was on top of you.

"Cassandra, it's just me." You said calmly, looking up at the purple haired mermaid sitting on top of your chest. Cassandra was a member of the royal court, and one of your best friends despite your small age gap of fourty years. She was well meaning of course, but jumped to conclusions quite often. She wasn't always believed anymore because of this, but neither of you minded that much. Better safe than sorry was her motto.

"Oh, it's just you, Princess." Cassandra repeated, clearly relieved, "When the king and queen asked for you and I couldn't find you anywhere, I panicked. I was convinced that I had to pretend to be you for a while!" The purple haired mermaid got off of you and ended up helping you up as well.

"Sorry, I was out at the shipwrecks again. I found some really cool stuff!" You exclaimed excitedly as your friend shoved you in front of the vanity to make you more presentable to the nobles and your family.

"Show me tonight then? Father asked me to go out and mingle with some of the visiting nobles right after I helped you get ready, so we might not be able to sneak out this time." She said, applying some scale shiner to your facial and shoulder scales, making sure not to accidentally go over your gills like last time's disaster. She also placed your small, golden crown on your head.

"There. I think you're ready to go now." Cassandra said, smiling.

"Thanks, Cass. See you tonight!" You said happily before leaving the room to go find your parents.

You eventually found them in the throne room, overlooking the bustling servants and court members.

Your mother's name was Queen Andromache, otherwise known as The Scarlet Siren. She was a very proud and quick-witted woman, and was also quite strict when it came to you as well. While she didn't seem to care about you exploring shipwrecks, she didn't voice her approval of it either.

Her husband is King Laius, and while he wasn't as strict as your mother, he wasn't a shining example of leniency either. He was more vocal of his opinion on you exploring shipwrecks, and he wasn't accepting of it at all.

"You were supposed to be here hours ago." Your mother said once you were close enough, "Where were you?"

"Probably out exploring those sunken wrecks again." Your father sneered, "She always does that."

"Let her answer for herself, darling." Your mother said firmly, never once breaking eye contact with you.

"I was out in the coral gardens, I must have lost track of time." That was your go-to story, though you quickly ended up adding to it, "And I also went to go watch the jellyfish swim."

Your mother carefully searched your eyes to determine whether or not you were lying to her. Clearly, your mother thought you were telling the truth.

"Next time, tell someone where you're going. Bring that Cassandra you're always conversing with if you must, but don't go alone. The humans could capture you if you're not careful."

You nodded politely at her and swam off to the ballroom before she could go off onto one of her usual tirades. It was no secret that mermaids had a distaste for humans, and it was for a pretty good reason. In the past, merfolk were hunted for sport and in return merfolk would lure sailors to watery graves.

You didn't think humans were that bad anymore though. Sometimes you would watch them go about their daily lives in a city called Enbarr. There were people who hunted fish like you and the other merfolk, there were people who built the ships that you would eventually explore, and they did so much more!

You longed to be where the people were, and you had so many questions you wanted to ask them. What was 'fire' and how does it 'burn'? Why do they wear fabric on their bodies? How do they breathe without any visible gills?

If you could be part of that world for just a day or even a measly hour, you'd be the happiest mermaid in the sea.

* * *

Hours after most of the visitors and servants and members of the royal court went to sleep, Cassandra made her way into your room. You were expecting her of course, and you had the three items you managed to grab laid out on your bed.

"So, what did you want to show me?" Cassandra asked, moving to sit next to you. You held up the pearls first, and Cassandra wasn't impressed.

"I have a bunch of those in my own room. Pearls aren't that difficult to find."

"I know, I just wanted to get the boring stuff out of the way first." You held up the second item, the silver pronged stick, "Look at this! It's like our teeth, but definitely not as sharp." You handed the stick over to Cassandra, who immediately began to turn it over in her hands.

"I wonder if we could eat with these? They're not that different from our nails."

"We probably could, but I don't think mother and father would let us. Anyway, here's the last thing!" You held up the final item, something you didn't get a chance to look over until now. It looked like a tiny human, only far shinier. Its clothes were soggy and its golden locks were floating around its glass head, but there was no denying that it was beautiful.

"It reminds me of those toys the little ones play with." Cassandra said, playing with one of its curled locks, "Except they don't look like humans."

"I plan on asking Typhon about it tomorrow." You said, stuffing your trinkets back into your satchel, "He knows _everything_ about humans."

"You're going up to the surface?!"

"I always go up after a shipwreck hunt. Sometimes I speak to Typhon, and sometimes I just watch the humans go about their lives. It's really quite interesting!"

"You weren't spotted, were you?" Cassandra asked, concerned, "There'd be so much chaos if the humans were to dive down here, you know."

"I've nearly been spotted, but Typhon diverts them away most of the time. In any case, they'd never be able to follow me or even prove that we exist in the first place. We're simply too deep down."

"If you say so…" Cassandra said, very much not convinced, "Do you mind if I come with you then? I can easily vouch for you, they trust me. Usually."

"As long as you promise to stay close to me, you can see it for yourself. Our cover story is that we were out racing the seahorses."

"Got it. I'll see you tomorrow then." Cassandra got up, swimming out the door and to her own room. As you laid upon your bed, you stared out your balcony window rather than falling asleep right away since you weren't that sleepy yet. It was dark out of course, but you could still hear the shouts and laughter of merfolk returning home from work and from wherever they went to have fun.

It would be nice to be able to join them for once, but you know you wouldn't be able to due to your duties as princess. Hearing them enjoying themselves was comforting in its own right anyway.


	2. deux.

The very next day after eating a breakfast consisting of fish and seaweed that you caught yourself, you and Cassandra set off for the surface.

"So, what does the human world look like?" Cassandra asked, swimming alongside you.

"It's lovely. Just make sure not to look up into the sky for too long. There's this huge round thing-- they call it the sun, and it hurts your eyes if you look directly into it."

"That sounds dangerous! Are you sure we should be going up there?" You both paused as two guards swam by on patrol. After a minute, you two continued your journey.

"It's not that dangerous, really. Just super hot sometimes. Now hurry up, I can see the surface!" 

You two broke through the surface of the water, sending water flying everywhere. You could see birds flying around in the light blue skies without a care, only dropping down to catch their next meal. You could see ships in the distance moving in and out of Enbarr's port, and you could also hear the sailors shouting their greetings and their goodbyes. It was all so very interesting!

You swam ahead of Cassandra towards a large rock not too far from the shore and climbed on top of it. It was slippery from the waves that constantly crashed on it, but you were used to it. Plus, you had your nails to anchor yourself with. Cassandra climbed up next to you a little less gracefully, and hugged the rock as if it were the only thing keeping her alive.

"Cass, if you hold onto that rock even tighter, you might break it." You smiled at her, resting your head on top of your arms, "Just let go."

"I can't! What if someone else sees us? What if I fall?" She said, panicked. With a sigh, you rolled over onto your back to look up at the clear blue skies.

"One, the ships don't typically come out this far when it's this cold out. They only sail out far when even the sea is hot. Two, it's not like you're going to drown. What happened to your adventurous spirit?"

"Is that what you call it?" She asked nervously, "Now that I'm actually up here, I regret it!"

"Go back down if you really want to, I'm staying up here to wait for Typhon. I need to know about the things I found yesterday." Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Cassandra debating with herself. She did jump back into the water eventually, but she poked her head back up a few minutes later.

"Well… I've come this far already. Besides, I'd never forgive myself if you ended up being captured or worse."

"I appreciate the thought, but I think you should be more worried about my hypothetical captors! I'd put up one heck of a fight."

"They have nets. That's how they steal away  _ our  _ food, after all."

"And we've got sharp teeth and nails! Believe me, if a human were to throw a net on us right now, we'd probably be able to escape."

"It's a good thing that rocks like these destroy their ships then, huh?" A voice said from above. You recognized it, of course, but Cassandra ended up submerging herself again. You straightened up on the rock to give your feathered friend some room to land.

"Typhon, you're late." You joked, "Any longer and I might've grown my own wings so I could pluck you down."

"That'd be  _ strange _ . Who'd want fish to actually fly?" He chuckled at his own joke, "So who was your friend?" He asked, gesturing to the other mermaid who was now poking her head out from under the water again cautiously.

"That's just Cassandra. She's part of the court, and she already knows about my shipwreck searching. Speaking of shipwrecks, I've got new stuff to show you today!" The bird hopped over to your bag eagerly as you pulled out the silver stick, "What do they call this?"

"That right there is a dinglehopper." Typhon said confidently, "The humans use it to fix up their hair, see. Try it out for yourself!"

And so you did. You ran the dinglehopper through your hair quite easily and painlessly, and eventually you gave Cassandra a turn too.

"I like it a lot! So, what's this other thing then?" You asked, holding up the tiny human figure. Typhon inspected it for a moment, picking up one of the arms with his beak. 

"This right here is a baby, except it's not super ugly like it's supposed to be." The bird declared, "Humans are always chasing me away from them. All they do is cry, eat, and smell bad!"

"Well, this baby's never cried or anything like that since it's been with me so maybe it's broken?"

"It could be asleep." Cassandra piped up, resting her head on the rock next to your tail, "I know the little ones sleep like logs all the time. Maybe it's the case for human babes as well."

"Yes, but you'd think that it'd be crying for food or air by now…" You shook your head, laying the 'baby' down next to you, "Thank you for your help, Typhon. I always appreciate it."

"Anytime, Princess! I'm always happy to help you out!"

For the rest of the day, you, Typhon, and Cassandra lounged on that rock watching the humans go about their day as normal. Your 'baby' still didn't cry, and the humans still didn't come out as far as Cassandra originally thought they would.

"You know what? I finally understand why you come up to the surface so much. The humans  _ are _ quite interesting… Still, it's weird to see that they don't just grab the fish with their hands and teeth like us. I couldn't imagine using just a  _ stick and string  _ to catch them."

"I know, right? It's really quite adorable." You smiled, straightening up, " You know, I've been thinking of going to the sea witch and--"

"Wait, you can't be serious," Cassandra's brow furrowed as she frowned, "We're not allowed to swim down to Antigone's lair. She was banished, remember?"

"She isn't  _ that  _ bad, really. Mother just didn't like the idea of someone being somewhat stronger," You lifted your chin in defiance, "Besides, Mother would never grant my wish of having legs for a day."

"You shouldn't ask Antigone for anything. You know she likes to trick people."

"She wouldn't dare hurt me. Not because I'm the princess, but she knows me quite well," You said firmly, "Are you going to tell my parents about this?"

"I should, shouldn't I?" Cassandra asked, leaning back, "I'm not going to though. I know you far too well. Even if they forbade you from going to see her, you'd find a way to sneak out anyway. Just.. don't do something dumb."

"I don't think wanting to see what life on the shore is like is dumb," You said softly, "It's been a dream of mine ever since I found my first trinket."

"I know that, but what do you think would happen if they saw you?"

"I think they'd be far too shocked to do anything to me, honestly. And that's what my legs would be for."

"And what would you use to defend yourself?"

"My teeth and nails! I'm not too shabby with a trident either. All that practice mother puts me through won't go to waste."

"You may be used to fighting under the sea, but the land is different. You can't swim in whatever the humans breathe in, and something tells me they'd know how to counter these."

"And something tells me that you're  _ scared _ . Cass, I know what I'm getting myself into."

"Do you? All you have are your trinkets and the few preserved square thingies in your room. You had a hard time translating those back then, and we can't even speak their tongue!"

Deep down inside, you knew your friend was right about everything. You couldn't read like a human, let alone speak like them. You couldn't walk, hold things properly, or even fish like a human either. Even if Antigone managed to give you legs.. you'd still just be a little fish in a large pond full of sharks.

You couldn't just accept defeat, however. You just couldn't. You had been studying them for too long to just give up on them like that just because your friend said so with a determined look on your face, you pushed off the rock and dived back into the water while Typhon squawked in annoyance. You could hear Cassandra jumping in after you, calling your name.

You didn't look back until you reached the deeper and darker parts of the water. 

_ 'Oh, fishsticks. I wasn't planning on coming here yet!' _ You thought to yourself in annoyance. You decided to try and find your way back, but the kelp and dead coral seemed to stretch on forever in the same fashion. You couldn't be lost. You knew the ocean floor like the back of your hand! You had come here plenty of times before in the past! 

You couldn't help but wonder if Cassandra followed you in and got lost too... You had to get out of here and find her.

That was easier said than done, however. It felt like you were just going around and around in circles at this point. Just as you were about to call it quits for the time being and take a much needed rest, you could hear deep laughter from all around you. You hugged yourself in alarm.

"Well, well, well… what's a little mermaid like you doing here?" A voice hissed out from your left.

"Probably waiting for death's cold embrace to get to her.."

Wait a second. You recognized those voices. 

"Show yourselves!" You demanded, arms folded. You knew exactly who was toying with you, and you weren't particularly amused with it either.

A bright red fish with protruding teeth and a long antennae with something hanging from the tip of it and a long serpent-like creature with a wide mouth came from the shadows, snickering-- or that's what their ghastly wheezing sounded like to you.

"Of course it's you two. It's always you two." You rolled your eyes in annoyance, "I can never have a moment of peace when I come here, can I?"

"You came into  _ our  _ territory. We have a right to defend it from  _ outsiders _ ." The ugly fish stated. If it could, it would probably be sneering at you right now.

"Right, right. Now where's your master, lap fishes?"

"I am here." A raspy voice said from behind you. You turned to see a ghostly-white figure with a gray tail approach you. As she came closer, you could see her scales flaking off, her prominent black veins, her milky white eyes, her swordfish skull sword attached to her hip, and her sharp features. Her body was unhealthily thin and bony, and her nails and teeth were abnormally long and sharp for a mermaid.

"Aunt Antigone." You stated, holding your head high to give the illusion of confidence. She seemed more and more corpse-like every time you went to see her, and you wouldn't be surprised if she dropped dead right now or sometime soon, "Tell Creon and Haemon to let me leave before Cassandra wakes up the whole palace."

"Won't you stay for a while, my dear niece?" Antigone asked instead, circling you like a shark, "I know that you want something from me."

"What I want is to get out of here and go home."

"So soon? I think I can help you with your little human problem.."

"How do you know about that?" You asked. Sure, everyone knew you had a slight obsession with things from the human world. They left you alone about it for the most part-- but if your aunt was speaking about the 'turning human' part…

"I have eyes and ears everywhere, my dear. It's not exactly a secret that you adore those land-walking vermin either for whatever reason."

"They're not vermin! They're just a little different from us." Suddenly, the two of you could hear a horn blowing. That bought you enough time to swim away from Antigone and her henchmen. No one followed you back to safety, but it was for the best. After all, your mother's procession was approaching and fast.

You quickly made your way out of Dead Coral Cove just in time to dart into a kelp forest nearby. You held your breath as the procession passed by your hiding spot, and nearly got caught a few times by soldiers who had stopped to rest for a second.

As soon as the last soldier went by, you swam all the way back to the palace and into your room. Should you have gone after them? Most definitely. You knew Cassandra told them that she had lost you, and you knew that meant your mother finally had an excuse to taunt her sister. Instead you laid yourself on your bed, letting out a great big sigh as you covered your eyes with your hands. 

You loved your friend dearly, but maybe you should leave her home next time.


	3. trois.

This morning, you had a feeling today was going to be far different from the rest. 

It all started when you went to the surface to meet up with Typhon, who was busy hunting. You could sense that a large storm was coming this way and truth be told, you enjoyed watching them. You loved how the rumbling thunder sounded like a drum, how the lightning cracked across the sky like those rockets humans sent up into the sky, and how the crashing waves angrily washed away anything that dared to try and stand in its way.

Now, while you did believe humans were amazing creatures-- they could be quite dumb sometimes. For instance, a rather small ship pulled out of port right _towards_ the storm, rather than away from it. It seemed like they had no clue about it despite the grey clouds and waves getting choppier. You trailed behind them careful not to get spotted until the ship finally stopped and you could hear hooting and hollering from the deck.

You hoisted yourself up a little just to poke your head over the railing, and you were aware of how silly this would've looked to someone observing.

"I would like to raise a toast!" A large, balding man said at the very front of the ship. He was holding a glass of something clear and bubbly.. some kind of water, perhaps?

"My son and heir has recently received word that he has been accepted into the Officer's Academy located in Garreg Mach Monastery!" More cheering. You weren't at all familiar with the Officer's Academy, but you had certainly heard folks speaking about the monastery over the years. You kingdom had one too, of course, though you were certain you worshipped completely different gods.

Anyway, back to the announcement this man made. Based on everyone else's reactions, it must be difficult to get into the Officer's Academy. You could see the crew of the ship pushing someone towards the front. He had orange hair, the same shade as the man who was speaking, that stopped at his jaw. You weren't able to see his face or much of what he was wearing, but you could tell he was grinning from the positive attention. As the lightning cracked across the sky once and even twice, you could tell that all of the men on board started to get somewhat fidgety. All except for the balding man.

"Come, men! What are you so afraid of? A little rain? You've fought beasts stronger than this storm!"

You shook your head at this, allowing yourself to fall back into the sea. What kind of leader would just _ignore_ their men's concerns?

"What were you thinking?!" You yelped as someone dragged you under the water. Yanking your wrist away, you saw that it was Cassandra.

"Who told you I was up here?" You asked, rubbing your currently sore wrist.

"Answer my question first." Cassandra glared.

"Well, I've never gotten the chance to see a working ship full of people before! It's amazing Cassandra, I--"

"That's fine and all, but what if you were spotted? They'd capture you, and do unthinkable things!"

"But they didn't, and they probably wouldn't be able to anyway. They were having some sort of celebration, you see. Why would they bring weapons?"

"Why did they bring weapons to The Black Ball?"

That.. was a good question, and one you didn't have an answer to. You were too young at the time to remember it, but merfolk like Cassandra could remember the event like it was yesterday evening.

"You know I don't remember it." You sighed, "By the way, you still didn't answer my question."

"I couldn't find you in the palace, and I couldn't find Typhon either. I've been looking for you for at least an hour! I'm surprised you weren't locked in the castle after yesterday."

"They never saw me coming back in, and by the time they did find me I was fast asleep. No one brought it up either."

Cassandra opened her mouth to say something else, but something huge and dark fell into the water about an inch away from you. Upon closer inspection, it was definitely wood. You both looked up to see people falling into the water along with barrels and other things you couldn't quite make out. Despite Cassandra's pleas for you two to leave, you instead swam up to shore to see what had happened.

The ship that the men were on had caught fire, and clearly it was too much for them and the rain to put out. Through all the chaos no one noticed you swimming through the rubble, and instead they focused on climbing onto tinier boats around the area. Of course, some men weren't so lucky..

"My son!" Someone had shouted, "Where is my son?!" Nearby, you could see the old man from earlier on a boat, shouting. A few other men were holding him back to prevent him from jumping right back into the water in search of his lost kin. You tore your gaze away from the man as a splash nearby caught your attention. Orange hair, fancy clothes…

You dove down after the boy. Cassandra was nowhere to be seen, but you didn't dwell on it. The boy was sinking faster and faster, and you just barely got a grip on him. You could tell he fell unconscious at some point during his fall, as he wasn't kicking or screaming like a drowning person usually did. That made your job a bit easier.

With the boy now safely secured on your back, you safely set off towards the shore. The man wailed behind you as the tinier boats began to make their way to the nearby wharf while the storm began to subside.

With a grunt, you were finally able to hoist the human onto the sandy shores of Enbarr. Typhon dived down beside you, and Cassandra was hiding behind a nearby rock.

"Is he.. dead?" You asked softly. He was pale, and his lips were blue from the cold too.

"It's hard to say.. I can't make out a heartbeat!" Typhon exclaimed after pressing the boy's foot to where his ears would be. Your face fell for a moment until you noticed his slowly rising and falling chest.

"Wait, he's breathing!" You exclaimed happily. It was then that you were finally able to get a good look at the human you rescued. He had sharp features, and it seemed to you that he worked out a fair amount. Though his hair and clothes were a mess and covered in sand, he still managed to take your breath away.

"He's.. so beautiful." He reminded you so much of the paintings you would see in the shipwrecked you loved to explore, you couldn't help but brush the back of your hand against his cheek just to make sure he truly was real.

"What would I give to live where you are?" You whispered softly to him, "What would I do to see you smiling at me?" The boy stirred a little as he lightly grabbed the hand that was on his cheek. As his eyes began to open, you found that you didn't mind if he saw you like this.

"Ferdinand!" You looked up to see the old man from before running down the beach towards you two. You quickly snatched your hand away from the boy-- now known as Ferdinand. You noticed that he tried to follow you, but collapsed again.

You hid behind a rock to watch what would happen to Ferdinand.

"Father… did you see that girl?" Ferdinand asked, leaning against the man who had just helped him up.

"What girl, son?"

"There was a girl who rescued me.. and her voice! Oh, it would make a pegasus dance with glee! I would give anything to hear it just once more!"

"I believe that you swallowed too much seawater, Ferdinand. Now come, I must get you to a healer at once."

You smiled as the father and son duo walked away together, and you swam towards Cassandra and Typhon in a sort of daze.

"I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now…" You sighed dreamily as Cassandra rambled on about how the queen and king were going to kill the two of you.

"And if they catch wind of this… oh, you're not even listening, princess! This is life or death!"

"I think you're too paranoid, Cassie." You flashed a toothy grin at the girl, still thinking about Ferdinand.

"Oh, don't tell me you fell in love with him! He's a human, you're a mermaid! It would _never ever_ work out in the end."

"Watch and you'll see, Cassandra." You said in determination, "Someday I'll be part of his world like he's a part of mine."

"Oh, that'll be the day. I'll certainly see it-- when seahorses fly!"

"I suppose I'll have to teach Char how to fly then, huh?" You dove down into the water, Cassandra followed close behind you still blubbering.

"That's-- that was just a figure of speech! Don't tell me you're going down to that sea witch's lair, princess!" 

"I wasn't, but now that you've put the idea into my mind…" You smiled deviously-- obviously you'd never actually do that even for a chance to be on the surface. There were too many strings attached when it came to your aunt's deals, and you weren't sure if you could avoid all of them.

"Don't you dare! I'll stop you myself if I have to, you know!"

"I'm only kidding, Cassandra. I'm not _that_ desperate to be on land with the humans, you know. Have a little faith, won't you?"

"I can't have a 'little faith' because you're always getting into stuff that requires me to bail you out of it…"

Still, that seemed to mollify the other mermaid a bit.

Sure, you said that you won't dare pay your aunt a visit.. but you were seriously starting to consider it. Your parents wouldn't do it, and you wouldn't dare steal your mother's scepter away for something like this either.

At the same time, you didn't want to get your friend in trouble again… ahh, you just needed to sleep on it for a bit. Maybe your solution would come to your mind tomorrow morning.


	4. quatre.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update from me! I'm going through Black Eagles as I write this, as I've only finished Blue Lions and Golden Deer.
> 
> Ferdinand will be introduced (formally) soon!

Much to Cassandra's chagrin, you couldn't get that boy out of your head. Not even after a few weeks time had passed.

That man, his father, called him 'Ferdinand'. Ferdinand.. though you didn't know the meaning of the name if it had one, it suited him so very well.

"You should've seen him, Cassandra! His eyes were so very beautiful, I could get lost in them for hours on end.."

"Princess, why are you still thinking about that human?" Cassandra asked, shooting a quick look behind her back to make sure no one else could hear you two, "You'll never see him again, you know. It's unlikely that he'll nearly drown again in this area."

"You never know, Cass. The world works in such mysterious ways… I long to see him again. I have so many things I want to ask him about his world, and I'd certainly answer any question that he has about  _ our  _ world."

Cassandra sighed in disapproval before turning back to the necklace she was working on, "You truly are the most reckless royal I've ever met."

"If you think I'm reckless, you should've heard the stories about my mother when she was my age!"

"I have, and yet she still didn't fraternize with the humans!" Cassandra huffed before putting her finished product around her neck, "Promise me you won't do anything too drastic?"

" _ Maybe  _ I won't."

" _ Princess _ ."

"What? I can't promise anything because I already know something will go wrong as soon as I do. Besides, mother and father have been quite snippy as of late.. and quite frankly, I don't need them breaking into my room to take their anger out on my stuff."

"They're only stressed out because of the dignitaries. We older nobles are looking for spouses."

"Isn't that.. boring?"

"Not necessarily. We only come if we want to, after all. It's not as if they're pressing tridents to our backs and forcing us to choose someone before the day is done."

"Still. I couldn't imagine being tied down to someone just yet! There's still so many things I want to experience before I have to do my royal duties."

"You've still got until you're my age, you know. That's centuries from now!"

"Centuries feel like they go by super quick though! One second you're a small guppy, and the next you're expected to run a kingdom!"

"You know you'll still have us to guide you, right? You won't have to shoulder these responsibilities all alone."

"Yeah, but still.. others say I can hardly take care of myself. What makes any of you think I can take care of a whole kingdom?"

"You'll have time to learn as the years go by. Speaking of which, your mother and father requested for me to teach you about etiquette today."

"That's.. random."

"Well, I was supposed to do it a century or two ago.. but it totally slipped my mind!"

"You're more scatterbrained than Typhon." You rolled your eyes, but you still smiled at your friend, "Well, let's get these lessons over with already! I'm grabbing Char and going shipwreck hunting again later!"

As it turned out, Cassandra did not go easy on you at all. She was a strict teacher, and she definitely noticed when you made even the tiniest mistake. You were exhausted by the time your lessons were over with, but you felt like you learned a lot.

You swam into your room and headed straight toward your bed, allowing your body to sink down into it. Maybe you could nap for a few minutes before grabbing Char…

A few minutes became a few hours, and once you finally woke up it was the middle of the night. You stretched, taking in your surroundings.

You were very much not in your room anymore. You seemed to be in a cave full of wailing and groans of pain coming from the creatures scattered around you. You wanted to look at them more closely, but a large shadow stopped you.

"You're finally up, princess." Antigone said, swimming above you with a small smirk on her face.

"Why have you brought me here? How did you even get in?" 

"Your guards were no match for me and my powers, dear." She replied, finally coming back into your vision, "Now, this should benefit the both of us."

"How so?" You asked, trying to ignore the creatures trying to grab at your tail.

"You want to become human, don't you? You want to see that human boy again."

"What human boy?" You were playing dumb now, which caused Antigone to shoot you a death glare.

"That won't work. I've seen you and him on the surface together already."

"How? There was so much chaos, and.." You quickly covered your mouth, but the damage was already done.

"I have my ways of knowing. Ways that I have no reason to share with you." She came up behind you know, gripping your shoulders, "Now let's make a deal."

"No thank you." You said, trying to swim away from her, "Everyone knows that you're tricky when it comes to deals. The evidence is here." You gestured to the wailing creatures that decorated the entire cave, and she rolled her eyes.

"They're different. You're  _ family _ , darling. They couldn't pay the price for my services. You, on the other hand..." Once it was clear that she wouldn't be letting you go anytime soon, you went limp in her arms, "Are you ready to listen?"

You nodded as she began to play with your hair, "Good. I will let you experience life as a human for a year. In return, I require your voice."

"That's awfully generous of you.. but how will I communicate with anyone? I can't write in the human's language."

"You're a smart girl, I'm certainly sure that you'd be able to figure it out. But don't  _ ever  _ underestimate the importance of body language! If you had your voice, you wouldn't be able to speak to them anyway and it's for the best, really. Men on the shore don't enjoy small talk, and they prefer the silent ones."

You felt that was wrong. The women in the stories you had read and were told about were just as adventurous like you were, if not more, and they certainly had no trouble finding romance when they wanted it. Still.. you were tempted to take her up on her offer. You needed to ask questions first, however.

"Why do you need my voice anyway?"

"Well, you've always loved challenges haven't you? Survive in the human world for a year without being able to speak."

"But my whole reason for going up there was to ask the humans questions." You frowned.

"You'll have to find a different way then. You know that your parents will never allow you to go up there and by the time you can decide for yourself, that boy you love will be long gone."

She did have a point. You couldn't stand the thought of him being with someone else before you had the chance to get to know him but then again, he could already have someone else..

After weighing the pros and the cons, you decided you didn't have much to lose. While you weren't stupid enough to believe that she really wouldn't trick you, you wanted to be optimistic and enjoy having legs for as long as you possibly could whether it be a day or a year like Antigone had promised. 

"What are your conditions?"

"All you need to do is sing a little song for me. That's all." She said, beginning to prepare a spell in her cauldron.

"That's all?" You echoed, somewhat apprehensive. Out of everything you could've given to her, she only wanted your voice, your only way of communicating. You knew she wouldn't tell you anything, so you simply watched as the mermaid shoved bottles of unknown substances into her cauldron with bright flashes and loud bangs. You were surprised you didn't go deaf or blind because of it.

After she finished saying a spell, she turned to you with a shell necklace in her hands. Before she could request anything--

"Princess!" Cassandra came riding in on Char, determination on her face, "Get away from her!" 

You tried to turn to see your friend, but Antigone gently grabbed your jaw to make you face her again. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see her raising her free arm and sickly green clouds of something surrounding your bodies.

"Now that  _ that's _ dealt with…" She opened the necklace, "Sing for me."

And so you did, more so because you were afraid of what Antigone might do to Char and Cassandra if you decided to back out. It was a simple tune that you liked to sing when you were working on something back in the palace, or when you were simply just bored.

"Reach for my hand, I'll soar away…" As you sang, you could see wispy green hands coming towards you. One of them held you firmly in place while the other reached down your throat.

"I look to you, like a red rose…" You continued-- except you didn't. In fact, your were currently gripping your throat in surprise as the hands were now holding a light blue orb and handing it off to Antigone. Try as you might, you couldn't even make a small squeak. It was as if you weren't able to in the first place.

The green clouds turned a golden shade now, and surrounded you once again. It was so bright, that you had to shut your eyes. You could feel your body changing quite a bit now; The major changes included the webs between your fingers disappearing, and you could actually  _ feel  _ your tail splitting itself in half. If you were wondering, it hurt. A lot. The pain was so much, you could feel yourself going unconscious. Before you were fully gone, you could hear a voice calling out your name as you tried to take a deep breath...

* * *

When you finally came to, you immediately noticed you were no longer safely in your bedroom. In fact, you seem to have fallen onto the floor. You sat up and tried getting a feel for your surroundings. There was sand.. more sand.. wood..

Wait. You didn't have anything wooden that was close to your bed. There wasn't sand on your bedroom floor either. You looked down at your strange hands, and then noticed something off about your tail.

Or rather, the lack of your tail. You had legs now, just like a human did!

You felt your neck-- there weren't any gills there! How exactly were you still breathing? You licked your teeth, which were still sharp and pointed at least.

That's when you noticed Cassandra in the water nearby and Typhon on the sand, picking at a clam.

You opened your mouth to say something, but you found that you were unable. Luckily, they noticed that you were finally awake.

"Oh, you're finally up.." Cassandra said awkwardly, "Um.. how are you feeling?"

You rapidly shook your head, and you were trying your hardest to scream. Whether that was out of excitement or fear was up for debate.

"Why dontcha tell her what happened?" Typhon suggested, "You were the one you dragged her up here."

"So… Antigone broke in because our guards are surprisingly pretty useless. She took away your voice, but you've probably already noticed that. She also turned you into a human, as you've noticed. Let's see.. we still don't know her motivation yet as she escaped, but they're trying to figure out how to turn you back. They want you to stay on this beach until they do."

You nodded in understanding, but you had no intention of doing so. This was your only chance to see the human world firsthand! You wouldn't be able to ask the humans your questions like you had hoped for, but now you could go out and answer them yourself! And maybe, just maybe you'd get to see that Ferdinand again.

Typhon dragged an old sail and some rope towards you, "Humans wear clothes here." He said with a muffled voice, "And naked people are just simply not allowed."

You understood. Mermaids wore clothes sometimes, but it was hardly for decency. It was mostly just for show, as clothes and the water didn't really mix too well.

You wrapped both the sail and rope around your body a few times as a dress, and you wobbled as you stood up for the first time. You ended leaning against a rock for some balance as well.

"Look, I have to get going before I'm spotted. Can you handle yourself until tomorrow?"

You nodded eagerly. Cassandra dove back down into the water while Typhon hopped over to your side. To be fair, you had sat there for at least an hour before getting bored and hungry. The sun was coming up over the horizon, and you decided to walk into the village for only a second. Typhon was on your shoulder giving you directions to a place known as a bakery, but you were too busy looking around at the quaint place. It was remarkably similar to the ones you've seen in your kingdom, though the building materials were completely different.

There were some people out and about already, but they hardly paid any attention to you as it was still dark and they were busy working. You finally found yourself in front of a building with delicious smells coming from inside. Typhon had flown away for a moment, leaving you to enter the place all by yourself.

There was an old man standing at some large hole that had an orange glow coming from inside. He was shoving a large stick into it, and it seemed as though he hadn't heard you come in yet. You took this chance to take a look at what he had for sale. It all looked delicious, but you didn't know what any of the delicacies here were called and you certainly wouldn't be able to say them either.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." The man said, causing you to look up and shrug, "Has anything caught your eye?" Luckily, Typhon had flown in through an open window with a brown pouch in his mouth. He perched himself on your shoulder and dropped the bag into your hands. Did he steal this from someone? You decided you didn't want to know the answer.

You picked up a loaf of something on a shelf and placed it down in front of the man.

"A loaf of bread? That'll be five gold."

You dug around in the pouch Typhon gave you, and handed him the amount he asked for. You left the shop with a bright smile on your face and split the bread for Typhon and yourself. You had just purchased your first human item, and it was so delicious! You bet it'd taste even better with some freshly caught fish on it, but you didn't know how people would feel about you simply diving down to catch some.

Now, you wanted to find Ferdinand. As more people woke up to get their day started, you searched for the orange haired boy through the crowds of people to no avail. You did get a lot of strange looks due to your attire, however. As far as you could tell, no one else dressed quite like you. You found yourself at the edge of the town, and it felt like you had been walking for hours at this point. The sun was high up in the sky at this point, and the sky itself was a deep blue color. Finally, you came across the edge of a dark looking forest.

"Are you sure you wanna go in there, princess?" Typhon asked apprehensively, "You don't really have a weapon to defend yourself with."

You raised your hand to show off your still long nails, and you flashed a toothy grin as if to prove that you weren't completely defenseless.

"I know that you've got those, but you're not gonna be facing mermaids anymore. You'll be fighting humans and wild animals off!"

You shrugged at this, stepping into the forest. You had no clue where you were going just yet, but you'd know when you finally got there.

There were rustling sounds in the forest, and it made Typhon somewhat paranoid. You weren't too bothered by it as you had tangled with sharks scarier than this in the past.

As it would turn out, the rustling came from weirdly dressed humans with daggers and swords and axes. They had to be bandits. They existed in mermaid society, though they knew not to bother you, Cassandra, or anyone else in the royal court. You knew that you would not be so lucky here, however.

"You're a pretty one, aintcha? Take her gold, and then take her!" One of them said. This one was clearly the leader, so you avoided him for now. You looked towards his two subordinates. One had a dagger, and the other had a sword. It'd be easier to disarm the person with the dagger, and you also knew how to use one. Typhon had flown away at some point, so it was just you.

You quickly lunged at the person with a dagger, swiping at their face and trying not to slip yourself. They let out a scream, dropping their dagger to hold their bloody face. You grabbed the dagger, glaring at the other two bandits. They didn't say anything to you, but you could tell that you had surprised them by fighting back. Before you could decide who to take on next, two figures came rushing out of the woods to attack them for you. Typhon landed on your shoulder, clearly pleased with himself. Their battle was quick, seeing as they had better weapons and probably more combat experience than you and once the battle was over, they turned to you and said something. You couldn't understand a majority of their words, but you could make out the words 'home' and 'place'.

You pointed at your mouth and shook your head to indicate that you were unable to answer them, and they soon understood what you meant. They faced away from you to speak for a moment, before the older one-- a blond man with an interesting beard held out his hand.

"I'm Jeralt." He had said, and mentioned something about mercenaries that you couldn't quite understand. You turned to the other person present, a stoic looking man with bluish hair.

"...Byleth." He finally said. Your eyes flickered to Typhon, inclining your head for a second before he squawked out your name for you. You were thankful that your friend was a parrot, as it would've been suspicious had he been a different species.

They decided to take you to their nearby camp to give you some real clothes and possibly figure out where you had originally come from and why you were wearing an old sail mast and some rope. One of the female mercenaries-- a soldier by the looks of it ended up sharing some of her wardrobe with you. You noticed that it was very pink and girly, which you didn't mind much.

What you did mind, however, was the armor. You weren't really used to wearing a breastplate, and you definitely weren't used to walking in it either. When the mercenary noticed you struggling, she allowed you to take off the armor until you all had to begin marching again.

Sadly, Jeralt announced that you  _ would  _ be leaving again soon. At least the soldiers shared some of their meat and other delicious things with you so you could keep up with them. You also rested your feet for as long as you could, which wasn't as long as you had wanted but you were at least thankful that your feet weren't throbbing anymore. After you all packed up the makeshift campsite, Byleth led you over to a man on a horse with plenty of weapons. It was clear that he wanted you to pick out one, so you grabbed a lance and another dagger to match the one you had gotten from the bandit from earlier. You were confident with a lance, it was quite similar to the tridents the soldiers you grew up around carried. Daggers were also one of your stronger points, as Cassandra insisted that you should be able to protect yourself with something as small as fish bone.

Looking back on it now, you were quite thankful she did so.


	5. cinq.

It had been a few weeks since you joined Jeralt and Byleth, but you had learned so much from them and from everyone else! You got better at understanding what they said to you and the others, even though it wasn't quite perfect and you also got better with your lance and dagger, though you were still just a little sloppy with the lance. 

You also got closer with the mercenary who shared her clothes with you the day you came to the land. Her name was Serah and quite recently she started to fight using a mount like Captain Jeralt. She allowed you to ride on her horse with her most of the time, but even then you could walk without getting tired for a while now. In all honesty, she reminded you of Cassandra except she was less of a worrywart. 

It was currently the evening, and you were all headed back towards Remire Village after a successful battle with some bandits harassing a small town. Tomorrow you all would be leaving Remire and would begin to make your way to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus to look for some more work.

"Aren't you excited to finally see a place _other_ than the Empire?" Serah asked, helping you off her steed. You nodded eagerly, carefully making sure your daggers didn't scrape the horse's side.

"We'll have to pick up some fur coats while we're there. It's _way_ colder than Adrestia could ever be." Serah continued as you walked into your shared tent together. Peeling off your armor and other clothes, you opened a vulnerary and began to apply it to your wounds. As Serah spoke and your wounds began to close up, you couldn't help but wonder what exactly Faerghus was like.

It was definitely cold, like Serah said, and it was colder than Adrestia. Being from a far warmer sea, Adrestia was already quite cold to you. Would you instantly freeze to death as soon as you stepped foot into Faerghus? It was unrealistic, but so was your current situation.

"Hey, are you even listening anymore?" Serah suddenly said, causing you to frantically nod your head. It was clear that you really weren't, and she knew it too.

"Yeah right. Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted me to teach you how to write since you're mute and all. I know it's gotta be pretty irritating for you to only be able to communicate using your bird or head."

She had a point. There was so much more you wanted to say and tell everyone that just couldn't be said in simple gestures and Typhon wouldn't always be around to say what you meant either. You nodded happily, causing Serah to grin.

"Good. Because I already purchased some paper and a pencil earlier." She said, pulling the aforementioned items out of her bag. As she taught you how to write, you couldn't help but wonder if she was secretly Cassandra. She was firm and didn't hesitate to correct you when you made a mistake, but she seemed somewhat more lenient than your friend. After you were done with the lesson, you quickly scribbled out a 'Thank you'. It wasn't neat by any means, but luckily the woman was able to understand what you were trying to tell her.

"Anytime! Now, why don't we get a little shut eye?" She suggested ruffling your hair affectionately, "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

You pushed her hands away from your head before curling up into your thin blankets. That night, you dreamt of being dragged back to the sea only to find that everyone was gone. They weren't dead, it was just as if they never existed in the first place. It unsettled you, so you woke up just in time to hear footsteps running past your tent.

You looked across from your bed, noticing that Serah was out of the tent. With an inaudible sigh, you began to pull on some of your clothes and your armor. You grabbed one of your daggers and lance and stepped outside to see what was going on. Serah was waiting there, but she didn't even spare a glance at you. You were about to grab her sleeve to get her attention, but paused upon seeing Jeralt and Byleth exiting their cabin along with a mercenary you knew as Gabriel. You ended up following the three of them to the edge of Remire Village, and while Byleth noticed you following behind them he said nothing. You saw three people waiting at the gates wearing strange clothing and they seemed to look around your age.

"Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire." The boy with a blue cape had said. His accent wasn't like anything you had ever heard before, and it sounded interesting.

"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt asked, unimpressed. You were wondering the same thing yourself, seeing as it was almost daybreak.

"We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support." The boy said.

"Bandits? Here?" Jeralt asked, confused. You thought you all had cleared the area of bandits yesterday! What were more of them doing around here?

"It's true." A girl with strange white hair wearing red confirmed, "They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp."

"We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They're after our lives… not to mention our gold." The final boy said. He had dark brown hair and wore yellow. His expression was slightly more carefree than his companions, though you could tell he was also concerned.

"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation. I…" Jeralt paused, finally taking in the strange teens' appearances. His brow furrowed as he frowned a little, "Wait. Those uniforms…"

"Bandits spotted just outside the village!" A different mercenary ran up to you six now, panting, "Damn.. there's a lot of them too."

"I guess they followed you all the way here." Jeralt sighed, somewhat miffed by this turn of events, "We can't abandon this village now."

"Come on, let's move. I hope you two are ready." Jeralt turned his head at you and Byleth as the both of you nodded and followed him and the three teens out of the village. You felt something pressing into your shoulder now, and you turned to see Typhon sitting there. His beak was full of bugs, and you couldn't help but cringe a little. Why'd he have to chew right next to your ear…?

"Let's take care of those thieves before they overrun the village." Jeralt said once the bandits were finally in sight, "Take down the enemies in front first. That should take the wind out of their sails."

Byleth was the first to attack, using his usual blade. The boy wearing yellow came up behind him to finish off the enemy with his bow and arrow.

"It's because of you guys that I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that!" You could hear him saying before joining the girl, who was wielding an axe. While Edelgard weakened this bandit, you dealt the finishing blow with your lance.

"You have a very strange aura about you…" The girl said once you two were sure the bandit was dead, "You say that you're a mercenary, so show me what you can do."

"We'll advance while protecting ourselves from the enemy. Take up position in the forest!" Jeralt shouted as you all approached the small forest. You remembered that it was easier to avoid enemies while hiding in there, and it was difficult for horses to follow you in there.

"Yes, good. If we're in the forest, we can sustain their attacks without losing the advantage." You were sure that Byleth could remember this information just like you, so you wondered if this was more for your new companions than the two of you.

You all fought your way through the forest until you reached the old watch tower. Past that, you could see their leader flanked by two other bandits. He was a rather short man with a very scruffy appearance. You would prefer to not get close to him if you could help it. You were more than grateful to let Byleth attack the leader.

"Hey, you with the blank stare! Outta my way!" The leader shouted, trying to get to the other teens. You stood behind Byleth, nodding at him to just go ahead and attack the leader as you would take him down if he didn't manage to do so. The leader went down rather easily and anticlimactically which was pretty disappointing..

Or so you thought. As the bandits tried to retreat, you saw the leader jump up to his feet and run at the girl with a yell. The girl quickly pulled out a dagger and you tried to get to her first, but Byleth beat you to it. You wanted to shout upon realizing the bandit would kill him, but you blinked and suddenly the bandit was on the ground again. You stopped in front of the girl and Byleth with a questioning look on your face. What just happened?

"Hey, over here!" You turned to see the other two boys running at you three, grinning. 

"Hey.. Did you just…?" Jeralt was riding up to you all now, but paused upon hearing a rather loud voice.

"The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students!" A man announced, "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!" You jumped out of the way as two soldiers ran after the bandits that your group had just defeated. The Knights of Seiros.. who or what was Seiros, and what were they doing in the woods? They sounded quite important, after all. Now a strange man with brown hair was approaching you all, wielding a rather hefty looking axe.

"The students seem to be unharmed. And.. who's this?" The man said, turning to look at Jeralt, who groaned in annoyance.

"Ugh… why him?" 

"Captain Jeralt?! It _is_ you! Goodness, it's been ages." The man said cheerfully, "Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway… it must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!"

"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that "captain" nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore." Jeralt said, closing his eyes. Well, him being a captain sure explained how he was such a good mercenary. Why did he give up that life anyway? It had to have paid better than being a mercenary. Sure, it was probably more dangerous too, but that's to be expected, "These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend." Jeralt said, trying to walk back towards the village.

"Right… Good-bye, Captain." Alois said sadly, before shaking his head, "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"

"Garreg Mach Monastery… I suppose this was inevitable."

"And how about you, kids? Are you the captain's children?" Alois asked, turning to you and Byleth. You immediately shook your head 'No.'

"I'm a bandit." Byleth said with a blank expression on his face. His delivery was still monotone as usual, but you couldn't help but grin at his joke. Clearly Alois found it funny too, as he let out a great big belly laugh.

"Great sense of humor, this one! Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain." His expression became more serious now, "I'd love for you two to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?"

The both of you nodded, though yours was more energetic. Ferdinand's father said that the Officers Academy was located in Garreg Mach Monastery, and you were sure that you'd be able to catch a glimpse of him if you went! Jeralt sighed for what seemed to be the 100th time that morning.

"..."

"What's troubling you, Captain? You aren't about to run off again, are you?"

"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros." Jeralt nodded, walking away from Alois. Byleth seemed to stare off into space until the three students from earlier called for the both of you. Nudging him, you both walked towards them without a word.

"I appreciate your help back there. Your skills are beyond question." The girl complimented, hand on her hip, "You're both experienced mercenaries. And your father…" She directed her attention to Byleth now, "That would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?"

"I had no idea he was a captain." Byleth replied, surprising the girl.

"How curious. I'd wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed."

"Hey! You two _are_ coming with us to the monastery, right?" The boy wearing yellow asked, getting yours and Byleth's attention, "Of course you are. I'd love to bend your ears as we travel. Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery." Well, that settled it. You _definitely_ wanted to go to Garreg Mach now, "We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it." The boy complained.

"That would be because you ran off." The girl scolded.

"Too true! I was the first to make a _strategic_ retreat. Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't _followed_ me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous."

"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude. And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all." The boy in blue said in a joking way.

"His intentions were as clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person's words." The girl said seriously, causing you to frown a little. She reminded you of your mother, except she didn't seem to be as bloodthirsty.

"Hm. You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on." The boy shot back.

"Oh, joy. A royal debate between Their Highnesses." Claude rolled his eyes with a smile on his face as if this were a regular occurance, "I wonder how being completely _predictable_ affects one's ability to wield power. Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I'd say your little exchange smacks of naiveté."

"Me? Naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?" The girl asked, clearly offended by Claude's statement. Either these three were friendly enough to be able to criticise each other without a care, or they were all rivals.

"In any case… forgive our digression." The boy in blue said apologetically, "I must speak with you two, if you can spare a moment. The way you two held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me I still have much to learn."

"Your skills are precisely why I must ask you two to consider lending your services to the Empire." The girl cut in, "I might as well tell you two now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's--"

"Halt, Edelgard." The boy said, "Please allow me to finish my own proposition." He turned to you and Byleth again, "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourselves. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."

"Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit people you just met. Tactless, really." Claude clicked his teeth, shaking his head, "I was personally planning on developing a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging them for favors. But, it looks like there's no time for niceties in this world. So, capable strangers, let's get right to it. Where do your allegiances lie?"

Considering your home was closer to the Empire and you had only recently learned of Faerghus, you nodded your head towards Edelgard. Byleth took a while longer to decide, but he ended up choosing the empire as well.

"A wise choice." Edelgard said with a smile, "Though the Empire has fallen from its former glory, the other regions are merely offshoots that pale in comparison."

Before Claude and the other boy could protest her statement, Alois came up to you all.

"Alright, that's enough with the small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery!"

"Looks like we'll have to pick this up at another time." Claude said as he and the other two students began to walk towards the path the Knights of Seiros had just travelled from. Byleth hung back a little lost in thought again, while you made your way over to where your tent was standing.

"So, we're going to Garreg Mach, huh?" Serah said from behind you, handing you a bag of your stuff. You shrugged, unable to wipe the smile off your face.

"I was looking forward to seeing Faerghus, but hey. It'd be nice to see my old school again." She said as you two began to walk, "I wonder if Professor Hanneman and Professor Manuela still bicker all the time. I swear, they sounded like an old married couple all the time." She snickered. Finally, it was time for your group to go. You waved a goodbye to Serah and jogged up to the front to join Byleth, Jeralt, Alois, and the three students. They were all chatting with each other before you joined them, and you weren't particularly keen on joining the conversation. There wasn't much you could add to it, after all. You could see the sky begin to turn brilliant pinks, purples, and oranges as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

It gave you hope, and you suddenly couldn't help but wish that the journey would go by a bit faster.


End file.
